Hello
by NinMandi
Summary: VincentxAeris. Vincent POV as he watches Aeris through the ShinRa surveillance system. Kind of a ramble. Rated "T" for safety.


**Author's Note/Disclaimer:** I don't own _Final Fantasy VII_, not any part of the game, characters, or franchise, as all of that belongs to the phenomenal Square Soft/Enix. Thank you Lionel Richie, for it was your song "Hello" (whoa!) that inspired me to write this. However, I do apologize for the title; I'm just no good with titles.

**Hello**

For years the ShinRa Corporation has been watching her every movement, her every delicate touch as she tended motherly to her small patch of flowers growing in an old abandoned church. Little did she know, I've been watching too...

She is a brilliant light stuck in the dark grey matter known as Midgar. Why she never fled this God forsaken spit of land is more than for her mother, but for _him_. This is where she met _him_. Where _he _fell from the sky. Where _he _taught her not to be afraid of the sky and bought her a ribbon. _He _stuck by her when he knew of ShinRa's dark intentions, like a guardian angel. And now that _he's _gone and still she waits. Why would she still wait?

Could she love me the way she loved him? With her auburn hair like freshly dried earth and eyes as green as the sea, she was so much like Lu...no, I can't even think of that name. Of that woman. It's over now, and it's time to move on, perhaps to this flower loving Ancient. But why couldn't she move on, even after her beloved is long gone from this world into the Life Stream? Women could be so confusing...

Sometimes I wonder if she continues to sell the flowers in honor of him, and that she had indeed moved on. I wonder if she would be frightened of me, of my brooding presence and red-eyed stare, or of the side effects of many years of ShinRa experimentation. Most people were.

The monitors don't do Miss Aeris Gainsborough justice; with the prominent television lines and the frequent interference of the satellite dish and the weather, sometimes she'd blink out of my view, sometimes for a minute, sometimes for the rest of the day. With all the funds ShinRa has required, apparently enough to genetically engineer humans into something more sinister, but not enough to obtain an adequate surveillance system. But it's better than she being kidnapped by this terrible holocaust and its patsies, even if that meant I would be able to see and speak to her face-to-face.

I hate the damn Turks and the way they man-handle this young girl. I've tried to hack into the ShinRa system and advert their scheduled dates of a raid on her home or church, but I've only so much power and influence over the people of ShinRa. Little to none, if you'd like the full glory of it. While I had made a name for myself and have been with the company for too many years, after they were satisfied and could no longer perform experiments on me, I've been cast aside to the status of a grunt. Basically, anyway, not technically. Nevertheless, I cannot persuade these men of hate to divert their attention away from her, and I feel I'll never be able to.

Last night I dreamt, but not of the woman whose name I cannot bring myself to say, but of Aeris. She smiled warmly at me, took my hand and soothed me without saying a word. She found a new person to grow her flowers for. It was brief dream, as I do not sleep much anymore, but wonderfully satisfying nonetheless. She smiled at me in my dreams and I feel as if I am walking on clouds, just from an illusion of her showing me the tiniest bit of recognition and kindness. I can only imagine what it would be like if she really smiled at me, not the way she smiles at strangers while walking down the street, but to really smile at me. To grow her flowers for me. To spend our days talking about nothing in particular while our body's line the empty pews.* To be _together_.

The monitor, the biggest one (I always make sure that when it's my turn to watch the monitors to put her on the biggest one in the room) has gone blank, and the last image of her I saw was one of shock as she glanced over her shoulder. Unfortunately, I could not see what was ailing her, but since the company has caught on to my fascination with Aeris and the fact that they hid away the Turk schedule, I fear it is they who surprised her, who will take her away not to here, but some other station owned by ShinRa. And my day is finally over, my light has gone out, and with the darkness comes the sleep and the waiting for tomorrow, when I can watch over her with what little power I have.

I cling to one shred of hope, though. I know one day she will be freed from this tyranny, and she will be happy with someone who is special to her, for the rest of her days. And with that thought, I smile and pray to whatever is out there, to whoever is listening, to protect her from harm, and to keep her smiling.

"_To spend our days talking about nothing in particular while our body's line the empty pews." _I'll let you, my lovely readers, to have fun with that statement. ^.^


End file.
